Many animals will bite their wounds, and this hinders the-proper healing process. Elizabethan collars have been used for many years by veterinarians to keep animals from licking or biting wounds or sores. The typical Elizabethan collar is an opaque plastic cone having a frustro-conical shape, and looks much like a lampshade. The small end of the collar is placed around the animal""s neck, and the collar surrounds the sides of the animal""s head. Although the Elizabethan collar is effective in preventing an animal from biting or licking or scratching wounds on its head, it is very uncomfortable for the animal. It makes eating, sleeping, moving, hearing and seeing very difficult. Many animals feel threatened, depressed or disoriented while wearing the collar. Animals often collide with doors and walls because of the restricted view.
A modified type of Elizabethan collar is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,133,295 (Lippincott). It is made of two disks of non-resilient material that are secured about an animal""s neck. The non-resilient material is thin and floppy and does not have the ability to return to its original position, and therefore does not present an effective barrier to keep an animal from turning its head to reach its body. The two disks are sewn together at their central aperture but otherwise move independently.
Another restraining collar is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,476,814 (Miller). The collar is made of a foam material such as polyurethane, polystyrene or foamed natural or synthetic rubber. The collar is toroidal in shape and is provided with a gap 22. The collar has a central neck-receiving space 16. The gap is wide enough for the collar to be placed on the neck of an animal. The collar includes a drawstring extending through the body of the collar and is used to close the gap. The central neck-receiving hole 16 is not adjustable in size. Without being adjustable for size, the collar will most likely leave a space between the aperture and the neck. The collar will be able to slip up and down the neck, and it is possible that an animal can have a paw become entrapped between the collar and its neck.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,044,802 (Schmid) discloses a collar having the shape of a round pillow with a central aperture. A shawl about the central aperture allows the sizing of the collar to the animal""s neck.
It is an object of the invention to provide a restraint collar that prevents an animal from interfering with the healing process of its own wounds or sores.
It is another object of the invention to provide a restraint collar that is adjustable in size.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a restraint collar that is inflatable, preinflated or contains reinflatable foam.
It is another object of the invention to provide an Elizabethan collar that can be put on the animal without sliding it over the animal""s head.
It is still another object of the invention to provide a restraint collar that is easy to use for the animal""s owner, and yet comfortable for the animal.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a restraint collar that is inexpensive and easy to manufacture.
These and other objects of the invention will become clear to one of ordinary skill in the art after reviewing the disclosure of the invention that follows.
An Elizabethan collar is circular in shape having an outer periphery. A central aperture forms an opening for the animal""s head. The collar is inflatable, either having a valve filling the collar or a circular bladder placed within the collar and having a valve extending through the cover of the collar for access by the user. In addition to being inflatable, a foam layer may be provided in the collar or the collar may be permanently preinflated without a valve. With the provision of a valve, the foam can be compressed and the valve closed. With the valve closed, the foam will not re-expand until the user opens the valve. This allows the collar to assume a compact configuration when not in use. The collar can be split from the inner periphery formed by the central aperture to the outer periphery of the collar. The two edges formed by the split are joined to one another. The split allows the collar to be put around the animal""s neck without sliding the collar over the animal""s head. The collar is secured to the animal by a shawl having a drawstring.